Alex Trebek, 78, Has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

In a video message on Wednesday, the longtime Jeopardy! host announced the somber news.

“Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you. And it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardyfanbase. I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health,” began Trebek, 78.

He continued, “So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information. Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.”

Trebek, who has now hosted Jeopardy! for 35 years, vowed to courageously “fight” the disease and also continue working on the game show.

“Now normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this and I’m going to keep working,” he continued.

He also asked his fans to lift up prayers on his behalf.

“And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,” continued Trebek.

He shares two children — Matthew, 29, a restaurateur in Manhattan who owns Oso (a popular Mexican restaurant in North Harlem), and Emily, 27, who works in real estate in Los Angeles — with his wife of 29 years, Jean Currivan.

Despite the grave diagnosis, Trebek quipped that he must continue working because of the terms of his contract through the 2021-22 season.

“Truth told, I have to because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!” he joked. “So help me!”

“Keep the faith and we’ll win,” he concluded, “We’ll get it done. Thank you.”